The Trailblazer Project

Astromancers to Mars?

by Dalton S. Spence

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For me at least, the most interesting aspect of the world of GURPS Technomancer® (which should have its own book IMHO) is the Astromancy based space program, of which the TRAILBLAZER project is the most intriguing (and least referenced) manned mission. There are only two mutually contradictory references to a Mars mission in the book; in the timeline [T12] ("1996 ... U.S. Mars mission announced for 1999; will use ion rockets") and at the end of the "Trips in Space" sidebar [T108] ("The Trailblazer is in the final stages of construction. She uses a nuclear rocket engine and an onboard NEMA reactor, and will carry 21 people on a Mars mission intended to set up a permanent base."). Below are some questions, speculations and suggestions based on this that could be used in an adventure. Feel free to comment on, discuss and add to the list.

  1. BASIC DESIGN: There are three basic ship/mission design options available for Trailblazer, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Note that the ship's power sysytem provides most of its teleportation capability, so that its final disposition is of the utmost importance.

    1. NO LANDER: All material and personnel for the base will be teleported to the Martian surface from orbit and the ship is left behind as a communications relay and staging area for future missions. While this will greatly simplify vehicle design, the ship will have to carry a portable power system for the base to use until a relief mission with more materiel can arrive and leaves a valuable resource slightly out of reach.
    2. ORBITER/LANDER: Except for the main propulsion system and the Astromancy Control Stations (see [3b] below) which will be in the lander, most of material and personnel for the base will be teleported to the Martian surface from orbit. Once this is done, the lander will go down to the surface and become the command and control center for the base while the orbiter will be left behind as a communications relay and staging area for future missions.
    3. MARS DIRECT: Everything goes down in the lander with perhaps the exception of a satellite left behind as a communications relay. This has the advantage of simplicity of design and maximum utilization of resources, but requires a much larger propulsion system to land the entire assembly. (This could be reduced by orbiting the vehicle and teleporting most of material and personnel for the base to the Martian surface before landing.) As with option (b) above, the lander will become the base C&C.

  2. SPACE RADIATION: Acording to a GURPSNet archives article on radiation dose rate in Earth-orbit [(c) 1993, 1996 by Sean Barret], beyond Earth's radiation belts, "You need eighteen inches (50cm) of lead to drop that annual dose to a legal level in the US for continuous habitation." Given that half an inch of lead has a PF of 2 [T44], that equals a total PF of over 68.7 BILLION (2^36). Even if the crew constantly weres Resist Radiation Talismans, that only shaves five inches (14%) off the shield requirement

    This more than anything else promotes the sleeper ship concept; by rotating a skeleton crew (and no, I don't mean real skeletons) through Suspended Animation in a shielded "storm cellar," the amount of shielding required would be greatly reduced. My calculations indicate that inside a 4mm aluminum shell the radiation level is 74.3 rads/day, which even with the PF 1,000 RRT described below means a HT roll for radiation sickness every 13.5 days. Fortunately, the medical officer could cast the Cure Radiation spell [T38] to reduce each crew member's lifetime accumulated dose during routine physicals.

    • Resist Radiation Talismans (or RRTs) are worn by people who regularly work in "hot" environments (ie. NEMA power plants, radiology departments, contaminated areas [ie. waste dumps,fallout zones] and high orbit). They are often in the form of an enchanted dosimeter or film badge to better keep track of actual exposure and are worn under HAZmat or pressure suits for additional protection. They come in three standard strengths: PF 10 (1,500 points, $75k) for light exposure, PF 100 (2,000 points, $100k) for medium exposure and PF 1,000 (3,000 points, $150k) for heavy exposure. (The dollar cost reflects thr Industrial Enchantment cost; procurement and retail prices will be higher.) The PF of the first two versions may be boosted to a higher level either by using the wearer's own fatigue or by wearing it in a higher than normal mana area (which many "hot" zones naturally are).

  3. POWER SYSTEMS: While a NEMA reactor is specified above, an equivalent ERTG powerslice has 1/8th the mass, 1/16th the volume and 39% the cost per KW and 7× the duration; four very important considerations when designing a spacecraft that is to be the core of a permanent settlement. This isn't too surprising, since real RTGs are often used in deep space probes that travel to the outer solar system. As a 1 hex (85 cf) unit is the largest that can be shielded by a PF 1,000 RRT, I decided the optimal size was a 46 FP/second unit at 8,305 lbs., 83.05 cf, $4,302,500 and 8.28 MW.

    1. The main problem with using ERTGs is the radiation leakage; if a backpack unit (36 kw) radiates 0.1 rad/hours, how much would a one hex unit produce? What kind of shielding would be required to reduce exposure to acceptable levels?
    2. Each standard Astromancer (Magery 3, HT 11 as per T71-73) can Draw up to 24.75 MW of mana enriched power or 137.5 FP/second. This is slightly less (90 KW to be exact) than the output of three standard ERTG units described above. Add to this a 50 point Powerstone, a 4" crystal ball, a computer terminal with a VR helmet (as per the Practical Astromancy sidebar on T107), a roomy crew station with bridge access, a 1.5 hex work area and access space for the ERTGs, and we had an Astromancy Control Station (ACS) suitable for high power spell casting and Q&D Enchantment (2 spaces, 12.5 tons and $21.9786M, $9M of which is for the 0-quirk powerstone).
    3. Using NASA's Safe Energy policy, the above Astromancer with a Teleport Other skill of 18 (adjusted to 17 for having Draw Power on) can teleport 300 lbs. from or to low orbit (100 to 999.99 miles) without using a powerstone or up to 500 lbs. using it. To teleport a person (max. load 200 lbs. with a spacesuit) to Mars synchronus orbit (approx. 10,000 miles) requires 180 FP, meaning that the Astromancer must draw on the powerstone for the difference. (This assumes s/he is familiar with the target. See the table below for the "safe" base energies at modified skill levels and adjust for the load facter as per M71.)
      NASA SAFE ENERGY POLICY BASE COSTS TABLE
      Range(mi.)Base <- Safe Energy for Modified Teleport Spell Skill ->
      FromUnderCost15161718192021222324
      2108241613121088888
      1010093627181513119999
      1001k1050403020161412101010
      1k10k1166554433221816141111
      10k100k1284726048362420171512
      100k1M13104917865523926211916
      1M10M141261129884705642282320
      10M100M15150135120105907560453024
      100M1G161761601441281139680642832
      1G10G17204187170153136119102856851
    4. According to the table above, it is theoretically possible for the Average Astromancer on Earth to teleport a small package (<50 lbs.) or themselves into the sun using the Astromancy Control Station described in part (b). It follows that it would be possible to do the same between Earth and Mars when the distance between them is < 100 million miles.
  4. PROPULSION: The main reason to prefer TL7 fission rockets over ion drives is the type of reaction mass; cadmium is expensive, extremely toxic and must be part of the launch mass while water is cheap, safe and (most importantly) can be created enroute by any Astromancer in virtually unlimited quantities using Create Water and Draw Power spells. Theoretically each megawatt of mana enriched power could create enough water to provide ten tons of thrust, with the only limitations being the number, health and endurance of the Astromancers available. However, as the rocket is essentially a nuclear reactor, a Pentagram spell should be cast on it to prevent a Hellgate event. The GURPS Space stats below are based on the TL7 Fission Rocket description on VE36
    0.5 space modules
    for GURPS Space    		 Thrust
    (tons)    		 Mass
    (tons)    		 Cost
    (M$)    		 Consumption
    (spaces/hour)
    Fission Drive Slice/TL76.42.084.161.94W
    Fission Drive Core/TL72.084.00
    1. Should the Pentagram include access space to the engine? If sp, six pentagrams will be required per engine space, otherwise two should suffice.
    2. Just how radioactive would the exhaust be? "Somewhat" (VE36) is hardly a quantitative measure, and if the lander is used it would be nice to know how much effort would be required to decontaminate the landing area.
  5. LIFE SUPPORT: Theoretically each Astromancer could provide his or her own life support using Purify/Create Air/Water spells (see template on T71-73), but this could become rather tedious after a while. One alternative might involve using magic to enhance mundane life support technology.
    1. Does the Purify Air spell "turn ``stale'' air into fresh breathable air" [M34] by removing the carbon from the carbon dioxide and leaving the oxygen behind, or does it destroy the entire molecule? If the former, a limited lifesystem could be turned into a full one b attaching a Purify Air grid [T17] and Purify Water hoop [M39] to it. Any losses could be made up using the Create spells from these colleges.
    2. To prevent the bends, conventional spacecraft often use low pressure atmospheres with the nitrogen gas either removed or replaced with an inert gas. Could the Purify Air spell be adjusted to regard nitrogen as a pollutant and remove it?
    3. Could solid waste be recycled using Create Food and Banquet spells to provide total life support?
    4. During the trip itself, LS resources might be conserved by placing most (if not all) of the crew in Suspended Animation. Of the 21 listed crew, how many would be required to remain awake to maintain ship's systems during the coasting period? Could some of the duties be carried out using golems or animates? Could Mission Control (or the ship's "awakened" computer) control these entities or awaken the crew in an emergency?
    5. Plant spells can be used with Hydroponics to provide a more natural type of life support in a closed environment. This is more suited to setting up the base than for the outbound trip, but a Plant Animate makes an interesting alternative to a Golem and refreshes the air besides.
  6. COMMUNICATIONS: Section withdrawn pending review.

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